Re: st: Log Transformation of Variable

[Gordon Hughes <G.A.Hughes@ed.ac.uk>]

It is completely unclear to me - probably other readers - what you 
are trying to do mathematically.  You refer to "multiplying" by (-log 
-e) but log is a function while -log(x)-e is a composite 
transformation of x.  Equally there is no mathematical operator that 
corresponds to [-log-e](x).  Get the mathematics right and Stata can 
help, but it is not designed to sort out nonsense mathematics.

Gordon Hughes
g.a.hughes@ed.ac.uk

> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:04:48 -0500
> From: Melissa King <melissakng@gmail.com>
> Subject: st: Log Transformation of Variable
>
> Good Morning,
>
> I have a dataset that I would like to transform by multiplying the
> dependent variables by -log - e, or in other words, the negative
> logarithm minus its base. Despite searching this forum and the
> Internet, I have been unable to find any information on how to "tell"
> Stata to do this. I am able to transform my variable by multiplying it
> by negative log:
>
> generate transformed_dep_variable = -log(dep_variable)
>
> However, Stata errors out when I try to communicate -(log+e), because
> it no longer recognizes log as a function when I type this in:
>
> generate transformed_dep_variable = -(log+e)(dep_variable)
>
> Do any long-time Stata users have any suggestions?
>
> Thank you in advance for your help!
>
> All best,
>
> Melissa King

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